Punk Rock Straight Outta Yorkshire
What better way to usher in a weekend than with some high paced, punk rock? Coming off a week where I had a house sale to deal with on top of the normal ebb and flow, I was exhausted enough to have an unexpected nap after work. By the first song of First or Last, I already could tell I was too relaxed for a punk show. This couldn’t stand, so with a beer given to me, we started the process into matching the fast paced sounds of the night. By the time The Bastards were on, heck, by midway through First or Last’s set, I was feeling the punk rock energy return for a fun night.
Making the obvious joke here, First or Last went First not last tonight. These guys are high energy, sometimes hard, punk rock that I love to listen to. I swear at points in the songs that Dave’s singing was loud enough to get through my ear plugs and give me a little grimace. On that note, again, they alternate lead vocals with Chris on Drums too. A fun surprise in the midway part of the set was Tyler, of Rundown Roommates, joining them for a song. If there is anyone who can outdo energy on a stage, I’m starting believe Tyler is that man from the time I’ve seen him now. If you’re wondering how much the man loves this band, Tyler showed off that he has First or Last’s logo shaved into the back of his head too. It was a little different with Tyler in the mix making for a great opening set.
Following them was the man, the legend, Shreddy and his band C:28. Believe it or not, this is the first time I’ve seen them play since he had his work accident. First observation, you couldn’t even tell that something had happened. He’s playing as good as ever. The entire set was fun, fast paced Commission 28 I love to watch as a whole. Second observation, somehow hearing “Spiritual War” tonight had me notice for the first time that it has a “The Kids Aren’t Alright” from the Offspring sound to it. Though they not only have a nineties punk rock influence in their sound, they do it well to begin with. Plus I can always appreciate a good cover of “The Brews” in any set. I’m so happy to see them back in action regularly, and I know there’s more C:28 sets in my future.
Last up was a band that I was watching for the first time tonight, The Bastards. These guys harken from the U.K. if the accents weren’t a dead giveaway. They bring with them a Sex Pistols and Ramones sound. In the same vein, they did do what they described as a “bastardized” version of “Blitzkrieg Bop” near the end. In that old school punk way, their songs are fast and shorter burning through ten in about twenty five minutes. Fast enough that we had a circle pit going for the first time tonight too. One cool fact about their new album is that Greg Hetson, of Circle Jerks and Bad Religion fame, plays guitar on a song and produced their new album. These guys were a blast to watch last night.
